Gripper for printing presses



Sept- 15, 1953 s. MECKLER GRIPPER FOR PRINTING PRESSES VFiled Jan. 7, 1949 Samuel ecle/er Patented Sept. l5, 11953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRIPPER FOR PRINTING PRESSES Samuel Meckler, St. Paul, Minn.

Application January 7, 1949, Serial No. 69,716

1 Claim. 1 My invention relates to an improvement in gripper for printing 'presses and relates particularly to a device for holding a sheet stationary as it is printed by apl'aten press or similar device. In printing sheets upon a platen press, it is common practice 'to place the sheet upon the tympan in proper location against suitable registering guides. The sheet is carried with the tympan into proper location vto be printed. Grippers are sometimes provided for gripping the sheet and holding it against the tympan to prevent the sheet from being pulled out of place by action oi the press lto cause a slurring of the print. As in many cases the printing made is mainly located atene-area of the sheet, the sheet will otherwise sometimes be pulled out of place during the printing foperation. The present invention relates to faspringgrpper which is designed to be mounted on afgripper bar overlying the tympan at each-sideth'ereof to engage against the sheet and to hold `it firmly in place during the printing operation.

In my previous Patent No. 2,014,975, issued .September 17, 1935 .I disclose a spring gripper having a pair of spring lingers which were urged apart by auxiliary springs located between the spring iingers. An anchoringrclip was formed integrally with one Tof the lingers. While this device was entirely practical -for lits intended. purpose, certain difficulties in construction `were found. In the first place the auxiliary springs were spot welded to thel ends ofthe spring lingers and the other ends of 'these springs slidably engaged the outer surfaces of the Stingers. After a period of time the'ireefends of thespr'ings dug into the spring fingers and `interfered with the proper operation of the gripper. Furthermore, the welding of the .spring 'fingers at the end thereof tended to'change th'e temper of the spring at this point where :considerable stress was normally applied. lA'saresult the springs `had a tendency to bend or `break in operation. The shoulder formed `in .the :iingers by theconstant sliding contact of the 'free ends of the springs also placed stress upon the springs as the fingers were compressed together and in time tended to break the springs.

It is an object lof Athe present invention to provide a sheet gripper which has some similarity to the structure shown in my previous patent, but which does not possess similar disadvantages. its a result the grippers Ywill be 'operable for a greater period of ltime and will 4not break as easily as those previouslyv described.

A vfeature of the present invention lies'in the provision ofla sheet-gripperincluding a pair of spring iingers having auxiliary springs therebetween ior urging the ngers apart and in anchoring the auxiliary springs between the ngers at the end opposite the free ends of the fingers. As a result the strain upon the iingers is not at a maximum near the point of attachment so that the temper of the springs at the anchored end thereof may be changed without greatly aiiecting the operation of the auxiliary springs. Thus if the springs are hardened or softened by the welding operation, the springs will not tend to break as the strain upon the springs is at a point remote from the point of attachment.

A further feature oi the present invention lies in the fact that the springs are substantially ccextensive with the gripping fingers and do not wear a shoulder in the fingers under constant operation. Inactual practice the ends of the springs are shaped to bend away from the gripping iingers as the fingers are compressed together, thereby preventing injury to the springs under constant use.

A feature of the present invention resides in the specific manner in which the springs are formed. The springs extend in closely adjacent relationship throughout a major portion of their length and then diverge toward the free ends of the spring arms. A slight bend is provided at a point spaced from the extremities of the springs so Ythat the ends of the springs are somewhat more nearly parallel than the diverging portions previously described. As a result as the fingers compress together, the spring extremities move together until they are parallel to the adjacent portions of the fingers. Further compression ci' the ngers tends to bend the free ends of the springs into converging relation, acting to space the free ends ci the springs inwardly from the free ends of the fingers. As a result the ree ends o the springs can not dig into the fingers and wear a portion thereof to cause a shoulder on the inner surface of the fingers capable of breaking the springs if the iingers are compressed together an unusual amount.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claim.

in the drawings forming a part oi my speciilcation:

Figure l is a diagrammatic perspective View of the tympan and gripper bars oi' a platen press showing in general the relationship of my grippers thereupon.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the gripper removed irom'the gripperbar.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the gripper shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the gripper in partially compressed position.

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the end of the gripper the position of the section being indicated by the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings it will be noted that the platen press tympan I9 is provided with adjustable gauges or guides II thereupon which assist in properly registering the sheet to be printed which is indicated by the numeral I2. A guide I3 may also be used to hold the sheet in proper location on the tympan I9.

A pair of gripper bars I4 and I5 are mounted to fold relative to the tympan I9 so as -to extend over the surface thereof. A connecting means I6 may be provided to connect the gripper bars I4l and I5. The gripper bars are usually provided with longitudinally extending grooves such as I1 in one surface thereof parallel to the inner side edge of each bar. These grooves are of assistance in holding the grippers from disengagement.

The grippers are indicated in general by the letter A. Four such grippers are illustrated in Figure l, two being supported on each of the bars I 4 and I5.

As illustrated in Figures 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings, the gripper bars A include a pair of spring lingers I9 and 20. These ngers I9 and 29 are relatively long and narrow and are provided with a right angularly extending enlarged anchoring portion. The anchoring portion of the nger I9 is indicated by the numeral 2 I, while the anchoring portion of the nger is indicated by the numeral 22.

A pair of auxiliary springs 23 and 24 are supported between the spring lingers I9 and 29. The springs 23 and 24 are usually rectangular in outline and are of substantially the same width as the lingers I9 and 20. The ends 25 and 26 of the springs 23 and 24 are anchored between the anchoring ends 2| and 22 of the lingers I9 and 29. In order to hold the enlarged ends of the lingers in parallel relation a substantially rectangular spacing member 21 is welded or otherwise aflxed between the anchoring ends 2I and 22. The anchoring end 22 of the linger 29 is provided with a curved flange 29 along its inner edge which is bent to enclose the inner edge of the :anchoring end 2| and to support a flange 30 parallel to the anchoring ends 2l and 22. The ange 39 is provided with an inwardly extending ridge 3l designed to extend into a groove I1 of one of the gripping bars I4 or I5. The inwardly projecting ridge 3I is parallel to the edge of the anchoring ends 2I and 22 and extends generally iat right angles to the fingers I9 and 29.

As best illustrated in Figures 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings the springs 23 and 24 normally extend in substantially parallel relationship throughout the major portion of their length and then diverge apart to provide the outwardly diverging portions 32 and 33. These ends 32 and 33 are bent at 34 and 35 respectively to form extremities 36 and 31 which diverge at a lesser angle than the portions 32 and 33. The purpose of this construction will be evident when the structure has been described in detail.

The lingers I9 and 20 bend apart from :a point adjacent the anchoring ends 2I and 22 as indicated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. However, when the platen of the press moves toward the tympan I0, the arms I9 and 20 are compressed together until they are almost in parallel 4 relationship. As the arms compress together the springs 23 and 24 bend in a somewhat unusual manner. The compression of the lingers I9 and 20 acts upon the ends of the springs which causes the springs to be pressed together at the points of bend 39 and 40 between the relatively straight portions of the springs and the outwardly diverging portions 32 and 33. The engagement of the portions 39 and 40 tends to bow the normally contacting portions of the'spring between the points 39 and 40 and the anchored ends thereof apart as indicated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

As the ends of the ngers I9 and 20 compress together the extremities 36 and 31 of the springs come into parallel contacting relation with the ends of the fingers I9 and 20. Further compression of the fingers causes the extremities 36 and 31 to bend inwardly or converge together as also illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. Thus the points of bend indicated at 34 and 35 form the contact with the lingers I9 and 20. This bent surface of the springs does not wear upon the arms in the same manner as the ends of the springs and therefore the sliding of the springs relative to the lingers does not cause any appreciable wear.

The further compression of the lingers I9 and 20 toward one another causes actual contact between the ends of the spring and divides the springs into two portions which are slightly spaced throughout most of their length, but which contact at their extremities :and also at the points of bend 39 and 49. This double bowing of the spring produces a strong spring effect and yet the springs can be substantially flattened without being bent beyond the elastic limit.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my gripper for platen presses, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claim without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A gripper comprising a pair of resilient ngers anchored relative to each other at one end thereof, a pair of springs between said lingers, each spring including lrst, second and third sections, said lirst sections having their distal ends anchored between the anchored ends of said resilient lingers, said second sections residing intermediate said lrst and third sections and being in diverging relation with respect to said lirst sections, and said third sections being at a lesser degree of divergence than said second sections and slidably bearing against said resilient lingers whereby liexing of said resilient lingers toward each other will produce a double bowing of said springs in which the junctures of said rst and second sections abut against each other and the junctures of said second and third sections abut respectively against said resilient lingers.

`SAMUEL MECKLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 669,882 Mobley Mar. 12, 1901 905,869 Grove Dec. 8, 1908 1,400,303 Megill Dec. 13, 1921 1,496,656 Cunningham June 3, 1924 1,542,734 Sherfy June 16, 1925 2,014,975 Meckler Sept. 17, 1935 

